may incline him to believe it to be of Di vine Revelation. But whoever would know more of this vile Imposture, may fee

it fully displayed in the Life of Mahomet, lately published by the Learned Dr. Prideaux.

THE

THE

Reasonableness and Certainty

OF THE

Christian Religion.

PART IV.

CHAP. I.

That there is as great certainty of the Truth of the Chriftian Religion, as there is of the Being of God.

F

ROM what has been discoursed, the Truth of the Chriftian Religion is evident by all the arguments, by which any Religion can poffibly be proved to be di vine and if there be any fuch thing as true Religion,the Chriftian Religion must be it and if this be made appear, it is all that need be faid in defence of the Chriftian Keligion, to any one but an Atheist.

The

The Scriptures are defective in nothing that is requifite in a Divine Revelation, but have all that can be required in the highest degree; to inftance here only in Miracles, and in thofe only of our Saviour and his Apoftles Our Saviour wrought his Miracles in the midft of his Enemies, and extorted a Confeffion from the De vils themselves of his Divine Power. And if the Apostles had not been well affured, and abfolutely certain of his Refurrection, they would never have had the confidence, and the folly, (for it could have been no lefs) to maintain fo foon after his Death, in Jerufalem, the City where he was Crucify'd, that he was rifen from the Dead they would never have chofen that,above all places, to preach this Doctrine, and work their Miracles in, if they had not been true at leaft, they would never have done it, at the great and folemn Feast of Pentecoft, to provoke the Jews to expose them to all the World for Impoftors; no, they would have taken time to have laid their defign with some better appearance and contrivance to be fure, they would have avoided Jern. falem as much as they could, and above all times, at fo folemn a Festival as that of Pentecoft, they would have gone rather to the remoteft corners of the Earth to have told their ftory, than have run the

hazard

hazard of fuch a difcovery. But when they stood the Test of all, that the Jews could fay or do to them, when in that very City, where he had been fo lately crucify'd, they told the jews to their face, and before that numerous concourse of People, which was then met together at Jerufalem, that they were Murtherers, that they murther'd their Meffias, but that he was risen from the Dead, and that by vertue of his Refurrection they fpoke thofe Languages, and did thofe Works, which they then faw and heard. This was plain and open dealing, and there could be no deceit in it; if any thing of this could have been difproved they had been for ever filenced, but their worst enemies were fo far from being able to difprove what they faid, that about three thousand Converts were made on the day of Pentecoft.

جرہ

The innocent and divine Life of our Saviour, the holiness and excellency of his Doctrine, the fimplicity, and meeknefs, and conftancy of his Difciples, the continuance of Miracles for feveral Ages in the Church, the wonderful Propagation of the Gospel by a few, poor, ignorant, defpifed, and perfecuted Men, every paffage, every circumftance, in the whole difpenfation of theGospel, is fullof evidence in proof of it. But thus much in this place

Gg

place fhall fuffice, all particulars having been largely infifted upon in their proper places.

And fince as fure as there is a God, there must be a Revealed Religion; if any Man will difpute the Truth of the Chriftian Religion, let him inftance in any other Religion that can make a better Plea, and has more certainty that it came from God; let him produce any other Religion that has more vifible Characters of Divinity in it, and we will not fcruple to be of it; but if it be impoffible for him to fhew any fuch, (as has been proved) then he ought to be of this, fince there must be fome Revealed Religion; and if that Refiion, which has more evidence for it than any other Religion can be pretended to have, and all that it

for it to have, fuppofinould be requifite

it true, and which it is therefore impoffible to difcover to be falfe if it were fo. If this Religion be not true, God must be wanting to Mankind in what concerns their eternal Interest and Happiness he must be wanting to himself, and to his own Attributes of Goodness, Juftice, and Truth. And therefore, he, that upon a due examination of all the Reafons and Motives to it, will not be a Chriftian, can be no better than an Atheist, if he difcern the confequence of things, and will hold to his own Principles, for

there